The invention relates to a plant, for refining pig iron by means of oxygen or gases enriched with oxygen, having a chamber accommodating a converter, a principal hood connected in the ceiling of the chamber and a closeable charge opening and a secondary hood provided in an upper part of the chamber.
By installing the converter into a chamber nearly closed on all sides, the flue gas forming during the refining procedure, as well as the smoke emerging at the same time, are seized and diverted via the principal hood; but, access to the converter is not easy. This is particularly disadvantageous when charging or repairing the converter.
With converters arranged in chambers, it has been known to supply the pig iron and scrap to be charged, to the converter moutn via special launders or chutes. This is complicated, leading to heat losses and to the formation of smoke and flue gas outside the chamber when pouring the pig iron into the launder. If repair work has to be carried out at the converter, the ceiling of the chamber arranged above the converter, even if the hood is displaceably arranged on the chamber, will have to be dismounted, which wastes time and is complicated. Furthermore, even the side walls have to be removed.